Will Xbox Live ban help cut 360 piracy?

The news came out yesterday but the effect will be ongoing - Microsoft have banned up to 1 million modded Xbox 360s from access to the online Xbox Live service. Owners of the modded consoles - used to play pirated games - will still be able to play offline but this is an interesting move from Microsoft. For a start the timing is everything. It can't be a coincidence that this news was announced the day after the release of Modern Warfare 2 - the game certain to be the most played title on Xbox Live for a long time to come.

The ban is also the next step in the games industry's battle against piracy. Stopping modding consoles and cracked games is probably impossible but barring access to online services is potentially a huge deterrent to piracy. This is especially true on Xbox 360 where so many games are built around online play.

What do you think then? Own a modded console and unhappy with ban? Or is this good news for owners of legitimate consoles?

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